Mandarin Oriental Opens - Swoon - A Mimosa Garden

Really, there’s not much else you need to know. Ok, maybe: Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is opening two outdoor venues just in time to catch that blazing summer heat. One is called Terrat, and is, unsurprisingly, a rooftop terrace. So far, so blah – what five star hotel doesn’t have a rooftop terrace?*

The other one, though, is called Mimosa Garden, which the hotel describes as “a lush courtyard oasis” on the Passeig de Gràcia, the main thoroughfare of the modern Eixample district. It opens every summer and was designed by Bet Figueras, the landscape architect who also did Barcelona’s Botanical Gardens. It’s shaded by olives, cypresses, holm oaks and oleanders, as well as lavender bushes and mimosa trees. See, they mean actual mimosas. But we’re pretty sure you could enjoy a mimosa under the mimosa trees. That would be nicely meta.

The hotel has also recently opened an entire new wing comprising 17 suites and five rooms. Even so, they had us at Mimosa Garden.

*This one has a mini rooftop pool with a view of the Sagrada Familia, which we have to admit is something not all five star hotels have. It also serves Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine – also not standard.